For immediate release
May 2007

VisionFirst Partners Donate Facilitation Skills

Janice Maffei and Joanne Spigner, founding partners of VisionFirst, serve as volunteers for AmericaSpeaks, a non-profit organization that engages citizens in the public decisions that affect their lives. In their roles as facilitators of small group discussions, they help diverse stakeholders tackle local, national and international issues.

Ms. Maffei and Ms. Spigner volunteered at the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative, a non-partisan gathering of world leaders and international change agents aimed at "inspiring change and delivering results". Lead by President Bill Clinton, the initiative brings together religious, business, government, NGO, and acedemic leaders to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges and make tangible commitments to solutions.

Both partners also participated in Listening to the City, two large-scale post-September 11 town hall meetings, one involving 600 participants and the other 4,500 participants. The facilitated conversations influenced decision-making regarding the redevelopment of lower Manhattan.

Most recently, Ms. Maffei participated in Urban Zen , a national initiative to re-invent health care. Belieivng that "we must treat the patient with the same passion with which we fight the disease," Donna Karan sponsored the May 2007 event to identify ways to integrate services in support of the patient and provide holistic solutions as a regular part of care.

Contact Janice Maffei 973 229 1991